Like all good southerners, I LOVE magnolia trees!
We have pretty large one in our backyard that we enjoy watching bud and flower every year.
About this time last year, Little Man fell asleep on my lap on the back porch. I was nap trapped as they say. But instead of moving him upstairs, I just sat and thought.
I looked up at the magnolia and saw this HUGE vine that had found a home across a good part of the top of the tree. From my decade spent living in Georgia, I’m pretty sure it was kudzu – but don’t quote me on that. It was full and luscious and a beautiful leafy green.
As I sat and looked at it I said to myself “You’re pretty, but you don’t belong here.” And it got me thinking about how many things in life, seem “pretty” but have no business making a home in our hearts and minds.
- Choosing popularity over authenticity.
- Resorting to gossip because we think it connects us with others but isn’t really the foundation to a strong friendship.
- “I just need to let loose tonight. I’ll have another” again and again…
- Caring more about self-image than self-worth.
- Thinking of anxiety and worry as a safety net instead standing in faith.
- Bingeing another season of that show that is fun to watch but leaves you comparing your life to the (not-so-real) reality stars.
I’ve succumb to all of these before.
When my husband got home, I pointed out the vine and asked if he could rent a cherry picker to get rid of it. He laughed. We didn’t.
But just a few months ago he decided to clear all the landscaping at the base of the tree so we could start fresh. And in the process, he unknowingly dug up and cut the root of the vine.
Guess what? The vine has since shriveled up, died and is slowly disappearing from the strong beautiful magnolia tree branches.
There’s hope for getting rid of those things that are “pretty” but don’t belong in our lives. We cut them off at the root. It might take some digging to figure out exactly what the root is, but the result is worth it.
